Today Stephanie interviews B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree Joe Perrone about his crime fiction work. Joe, when writing crime fiction, there are usually several characters involved. What is your advice in presenting each character so they stand out? In creating the main character for the first book in the Matt Davis Mystery Series, As the Twig is Bent, I already had an actual person in mind for the character of Matt Davis. I had seen a television commercial with a man who I thought Matt should look like, and I literally drew my character to physically resemble that actor. I think it helps to have a specific person in mind, or at least have an idea of what your character ought to look like. More than that, however, it is important to “flesh out” your character with: physical appearance; clothing preferences; likes and dislikes; quirks; level of education; life experience, etc. I actually make a list of my main characters in a separate document, with their physical and intellectual attributes that I may consult many times in the course of writing a book. Minor characters who are seen only momentarily can be made up on the spot and described as “the mailman,…
